Heaven-Defying Hero - Chapter 18

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#018

Ja-gang-cheon, who had arrived in Jiao-nan, stopped by the port.

“Let’s stop by the Labor Office first. I want to learn something about sailors.”

“He’ll be happy if you visit. I heard things have been difficult lately.”

“Difficult? Why?”

“While organizing Gyeonam Market, he apparently gave quite a lot of retirement funds to his subordinates. He only kept enough to barely operate.”

“Why did he go that far?”

“He said people without heart should leave without regrets. He said only those with true purpose would remain if the Labor Office was poor.”

“Mother said it’s not good to be too harsh on oneself. Though Father said that’s sometimes necessary.”

Whatever the reason, hearing that So Yeon-dok was struggling didn’t sit well with him.

“Should I help him?”

Ja-gang-cheon still had promissory notes that could be exchanged for large sums of money.

“No. You need to use that for building the boat. What you have now won’t even come close.”

The reality was that even all that money would become pocket change when faced with a new ship.

“So this is what worrying about money feels like.”

To Ja-gang-cheon, wealth had always been ‘just something that existed.’ But now that he needed more wealth, he began to understand its value.

“This is why so many people stake their lives on wealth.”

As he walked with these thoughts, a familiar figure caught his eye.

“Oh? There he is.”

Labor Office Director So Yeon-dok wasn’t at his office but was unloading something from a large ship docked at the port.

“Don’t overdo it, two people should carry it together! If you’re done loading there, close the cart door! The cold air is escaping!”

The workers listening to him were all from Haerongbang background.

The cargo they removed from the ship was transferred to carts with thick walls and interiors lined with several layers of cloth. The items wrapped in white cloth revealed their true nature in front of the cart, causing Ja-gang-cheon to tilt his head in puzzlement.

“I thought they were moving some kind of porcelain. It’s ice.”

The precious cargo was actually ice.

When Ja-gang-cheon showed an indifferent reaction, Cheon-gu explained.

“In summer, ice is as precious as porcelain. Seeing this, winter must be coming soon.”

They could only see ice because it was at least autumn now.

“Is ice that expensive?”

“Ask him directly.”

So Yeon-dok, who had recognized Ja-gang-cheon, was taking off his gloves and running over.

“What brings you here, benefactor?”

“Why are you carrying cargo yourself?”

“I wanted to work up a sweat.”

He never mentioned that he was struggling. Instead, he spoke of the positive aspects and smiled.

“My mind feels at ease, so it’s not even difficult.”

Though he said that, he had lost so much weight that his cheekbones protruded. It wasn’t weight loss in a good way. It was the trace of hard labor.

“But how much does ice like that cost?”

“Ah! Should I give you one?”

“No. I’m just curious about the price.”

“Right now, one block costs one tael of silver. Since it’ll be split in half for use, you can think of the amount one person can carry as half a tael of silver.”

“That’s quite expensive.”

“That’s because it’s autumn, so the price has dropped considerably. In summer, ice is so precious you can’t even get a look at it.”

“How precious is it?”

“During the hottest times, it’s hard to find even if you pay five times the current price. In urgent cases, I’ve seen single blocks sell for five taels each.”

Even if it wasn’t as expensive as porcelain, it was certainly an enormous price.

“Each province has a separate government office just for managing ice. There are even official positions for managing it. The Royal Court sometimes gives ice as royal gifts in summer. Naturally, it’s treated as a very honorable gift.”

“Really?”

Ja-gang-cheon thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Thank you, uncle. I’ll come back later.”

Ja-gang-cheon hurried back to the Eastern Trade Guild.

Ja-gang-cheon arrived in front of the Eastern Trade Guild’s warehouse. It was where his belongings were stored, and even the Merchant Guild Leader hadn’t approached it since moving the items there.

“I have ice.”

Hearing this, Cheon-gu and Pansuk asked with surprised faces.

“Ice? Where?”

“Just follow me first.”

In the warehouse, all the items Ja-gang-cheon had brought from Gwigokdo were stacked as they were.

The leaves and cloth he had wrapped them in at Gwigokdo remained intact, and no one from the guild had opened any of the items. This alone showed the character of the Eastern Trade Guild Leader.

Ja-gang-cheon picked up one of the square boxes neatly stacked to one side.

When he removed the leaves, a crystal box filled with white frost appeared inside.

“Everyone be careful. Get as far away as possible.”

After positioning the two against the warehouse wall, Ja-gang-cheon opened the crystal box from the opposite wall.

Then cold air that had turned into thick fog flowed down like waves and instantly filled the warehouse.

Crack!

In the time it took to breathe deeply three times, the warehouse had transformed into a freezer.

“Ugh… what on earth is this?”

Cheon-gu, whose lips had turned blue, asked while shivering.

“It’s called Ice Essence. It’s a treasure of the Northern Ice Palace.”

“H-hyung. It’s been an honor to serve you all this time…”

“No. You can’t fall asleep.”

Ja-gang-cheon patted the back of Pansuk, who was being dramatic. Then warmth spread through Pansuk’s body and his complexion returned.

“Wow. There are things like this in the world?”

“How about we make ice with this and sell it?”

At those words, Cheon-gu answered with an unusually excited voice.

“That’s a good idea.”

“But I don’t know how to sell it either.”

“I know that. If we can make the ice properly, selling it won’t be difficult.”

“That works out well.”

Ja-gang-cheon held out the crystal box containing the Ice Essence. But Cheon-gu had no intention of taking it.

“Could you manage that? I don’t think I could handle it.”

Cheon-gu quickly waved his hands in refusal.

Even while leaving the warehouse, Cheon-gu was deep in thought.

He had been briefly excited about being able to make ice, but soon realized the problems.

“It’s strange that ice just gets made like that. And with that level of cold air, the surroundings will get cold too.”

“Then what should we do?”

“We need a space where secrecy is guaranteed. And it needs to be quite large.”

Ja-gang-cheon agreed with that.

“True, if it’s revealed that we have Ice Essence, the Northern Ice Palace would chase us to the afterlife.”

“Now that you put it that way, it’s become even more difficult.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

Cheon-gu, who wasn’t reassured at all, pondered repeatedly before reaching a conclusion.

“We’ll need a large manor. We need to build an ice storage and people who transport it need to come and go. And preferably outside the village. If people hear that ice is being produced, they’ll definitely try to discover the secret.”

“Hmm. Since I’ve found someone to build the boat, I need a house to settle in too. It’s a house to bring my parents to, so a spacious place would be good.”

“The Merchant Guild Leader will be disappointed.”

“We’ll see each other often anyway. More importantly…”

Ja-gang-cheon asked with a slightly anxious expression.

“You’ll come with me too, right?”

This was the most important issue. Fortunately, Cheon-gu answered without hesitation.

“Of course. If I leave you alone at the manor where ice is produced, it’s obvious what will happen.”

“Hehe. That’s a relief. Then let’s go meet the Merchant Guild Leader.”

Greatly relieved, Ja-gang-cheon immediately started walking.

“You never postpone anything, do you.”

“Is that bad?”

“Usually other people need preparation. Not that you’re doing anything wrong.”

When Ja-gang-cheon didn’t understand, Cheon-gu matched his walking pace and explained.

“I mean I’m envious. And you’re doing well.”

While they were talking, they arrived at the Merchant Guild Leader’s office. Jo Pilseong, who had been having a serious conversation with the old subordinate, put everything aside and showed a bright smile when he saw Ja-gang-cheon.

“Please come in.”

Recently, things were gradually recovering centered around the brewery, but it was still a difficult situation to operate the entire merchant guild.

“I need to buy a manor. Please help me.”

Jo Pilseong’s expression hardened at the sudden request.

“Why are you looking for a house? Is there something uncomfortable about your current accommodations?”

Seeing Jo Pilseong immediately look apologetic, Ja-gang-cheon quickly waved his hands.

“It’s not that, I really need it. It’ll be good for you too, Merchant Guild Leader, so please look into it quickly.”

“Good for me?”

“I’ll tell you when it’s all completed.”

Even though he didn’t understand Ja-gang-cheon’s words, Jo Pilseong immediately ordered a worker to look into manors that met the conditions.

It was two days later when Jo Pilseong came looking for Ja-gang-cheon, saying he had found a decent manor.

It was located a bit outside Gyonam Village, about a gak’s walk along the northern road.

Walking east with the sea on one side, there was a small hill where a fairly large manor was situated.

The elevated location provided a clear view in all directions, and to the east, Jinhae Port and the sea could be seen at a glance.

“Isn’t this the house where the Merchant Guild Leader of Sangcheon Merchant Guild used to live?”

Cheon-gu knew this place.

Sangcheon Merchant Guild was a place that had done big seafood trade between Gyonam and the adjacent Hwangdo.

“Recently, two of their ships sank, causing huge losses. That’s why they put the house up for sale.”

The guest quarters still retained human warmth.

The manor was quite large, with three residential buildings, two warehouses, and a food storage and dining hall built separately.

“The front yard is also spacious, and the back yard is maintained as a garden.”

The back yard had an elegant pavilion built in the center of a small coniferous garden, from where one could look down at the sea.

This was a much better manor than what Ja-gang-cheon had wanted.

Especially the view of the sea from the pavilion was exquisite.

The people here described the crashing waves as rough, but Ja-gang-cheon didn’t see it that way.

‘Such a beautiful sea.’

To him, the sea was like an angry evil spirit. It had never allowed him a moment’s rest. So this view of the sea from above was almost mystical.

“I’ll take this one.”

Without needing to look further, Ja-gang-cheon made his decision.

“Then I’ll try to negotiate.”

Ja-gang-cheon didn’t even ask about the price. Instead, he gave him the largest denomination promissory note from his pocket.

It was a promissory note worth ten thousand nyang.

It was natural for Jo Pilseong to be surprised seeing this.

“Such a large sum of money…”

Nevertheless, Jo Pilseong didn’t ask about its source.

“Is this not enough?”

“It’s currently listed at exactly ten thousand nyang.”

“Then it’s a perfect match.”

“You can’t buy it for that price. Since it’s a distressed sale, we can get at least 30% off.”

To merchant Jo Pilseong, seven thousand nyang seemed like the appropriate price.

“Please handle it as you see fit.”

Though he needed to save money, Ja-gang-cheon didn’t hesitate.

He liked the house, but more than that, he didn’t want to drag things out any longer.

‘The faster I make it, the more I can earn.’

This was an investment, so there was no reason to hesitate. Of course, this wasn’t Ja-gang-cheon’s own thinking, but Cheon-gu’s advice.

Ten days later,

The quiet manor on the hill overlooking the sea became Ja-gang-cheon’s property.

“Are you done thinking?”

Ja-gang-cheon nodded at Cheon-gu’s question. There was something he had been pondering for a long time, which was unusual for him.

“Then tell me now. What will you name the manor?”

Ja-gang-cheon looked at the empty space for the nameplate and answered.

“Deungmyeong Manor. It means lighthouse.”

“Lighthouse?”

“Yes. So our parents can see the lighthouse and find us easily.”

Cheon-gu thought Ja-gang-cheon had come up with quite a wonderful name.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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